Brief communication: interproximal tooth wear: a new observation.

Microscopic observations were made of wear on the proximal surfaces of tooth crowns of Australian Aboriginals and whites. Typical wear facets displayed well-defined borders within which vertical or near vertical furrows, ranging from about 0.1 to 0.5 mm in width, were noted. Furrows on the interproximal surface of one tooth seemed to "interdigitate" with those on the proximal surface of the adjacent tooth. These observations are not consistent with the commonly-held view that interproximal tooth wear results from a buccolingual movement of adjacent teeth that maintain contact through mesial migration. Vertical or near vertical movement of teeth, possibly including a tipping action, must be an important factor, although the precise nature of the movement requires further investigation.     

激光共聚焦显微镜在微痕定量分析中的应用综述

微痕分析是石器、骨器、牙齿等工艺、功能研究的常用方法,但无论是高倍还是低倍等常用方法,受限于体式光学显微镜、扫描电镜等观察方法,微痕分析通常很难进行原位定量分析,因此微痕分析的定量化是目前学术界遇到的主要问题。近年来随着激光共聚焦显微镜（LSCM）在微痕分析中的应用,微痕定量化在西方学术界得到了新的实践和进展。本文主要介绍激光共聚焦显微镜的原理及其在微痕分析中的应用案例,以期促进微痕分析在中国的进一步发展。     

牙齿微痕研究在古食性重建中应用的简述

在古食性研究中,牙齿微痕是指动物在咀嚼食物的过程中在牙齿咬合面上产生的微观磨损痕迹。不同食性的动物具有不同的牙齿微痕特征,因此可以通过研究牙齿微痕特征来重建灭绝动物的古食性,为探讨动物演化和古生态环境变化提供重要信息。本文主要介绍牙齿微痕作为一种简单而高效的古食性重建方法在古生物领域中的应用。本文主要内容包括牙齿微痕的发展历史,形成机理与应用,以及近年来被广泛应用的牙齿微痕定量化分析——表面纹理分析法,并在最后浅谈了牙齿微痕研究未来可能研究的方向。     

Intraindividual and intragroup variability of buccal tooth striation pattern

Intrapopulational tooth striation variability has been studied in a sample of 99 individuals from the medieval agriculturalist population of La Olmeda (Palencia, Spain). The number, length, and orientation of all observed striations were recorded using a scanning electron microscope and an image analyzer system. Tooth striations were observed at 100 × magnification on the buccal surface of Pm4 and M1 teeth. The results obtained for the adult age group indicate that the buccal striation pattern is a characteristic trait which does not vary significantly among teeth for each individual. Agegroup variability suggests that buccal tooth striations accumulate over quite long periods of time. The characteristic striation pattern for the population is completely attained in the subadult age group. For the analyzed population, seasonal changes in dietary habits apparently did not affect the buccal striation pattern. Weaning of children in the population from La Olmeda seems to have occurred long before 2–5 years of age. Infants had a highly abrasive diet, and subadult and adult individuals would have had a slightly softer diet, perhaps due to a higher meat intake. The buccal striation pattern as a dietary indicator seems to be of great reliability, allowing for quantitative analysis of intrapopulation and interpopulation variability. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Dietary adaptations in an ungulate community from the late Pliocene of Greece

The dietary morphological methods of mesowear and microwear were applied to ungulates of the late Pliocene fauna of Sésklo (Thessaly, Greece). The results provide evidence for the predominance of open grassland in the area, as the most common species, Equus stenonis, was a strict grazer. The rare cervid cf. Croizetoceros ramosus was the only browser. The antelopes (genera Gazella and Gazellospira) yielded discrepant microwear and mesowear results. This is interpreted as an indication of regional or seasonal dietary resource differentiation, inferring that the antelopes were probably mixed feeders that grazed occasionally or periodically.     

Subvertical grooves of interproximal facets in neandertal posterior teeth

Subvertical grooves, located on the interproximal facets of most Neandertal posterior teeth, are less frequently noted on the teeth of other hominids, including modern humans. These grooves, 0.1–0.5 mm in width, are strictly localized within the facet area. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) examination of grooves present on Neandertal teeth from Caverna delle Fate (Liguria, Italy) and Genay (Côte d'Or, France) demonstrated that they were produced during the life of these individuals. Characteristics of the groove surface suggest an erosion-abrasion mechanism of formation. These grooves, which developed in parts of the dentition exposed to marked stress, originated in areas characterized by changes in the orientation of enamel prism bundles (i.e., Hunter-Schreger bands). Observations carried out on modern human molars showed a subvertical disposition of these bands near interproximal ridges facilitating subvertical microfractures. Possible correlations between enamel structure, masticatory stress, and interproximal groove formation in Neandertals are discussed. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.